Dynamic inventory distribution system

ABSTRACT

Embodiments include systems and methods of delivery DVDs, games, other electronically or computer readable media, or other high value items through the mail or via any other delivery service for return and redelivery to a second customer. For example, in one embodiment, items returned by a first customer are identified during processing of a container or mailer containing the item, the second customer is determined, a new address label is affixed to the container, and the item is delivered to the second customer.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/391,122 filed Feb. 23, 2009, entitled “Dynamic Inventory DistributionSystem,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/031,330, filed on Feb. 25, 2008. This application is also related toU.S. application Ser. No. 12/391,214 (ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. USPS.024A)filed on Feb. 23, 2009. The entire disclosure of each of the aboveapplications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This application relates to an envelope and systems and methods ofprocessing the envelope for delivery DVDs, games, and other high valueitems through the mail or via any other delivery service for return andredelivery to a second recipient.

2. Description of the Related Technology

DVD rental services that use the mail or other delivery servicestypically dispatch items from a warehouse to a customer in single-usemailers. When finished, the customer returns the item in all or aportion of the mailer to the warehouse. Thus, in order to providereasonable turn around times, providers of such rental services mayincur costs of maintaining geographically distributed return centers toreceive and process the mailers in a timely manner. Moreover, itemsbeing processed are not available to rent and thus larger inventoriesmay need to be maintained. Hence, improved mailers, along with systemsand methods of processing such mailers, to reduce processing latenciesare desirable.

SUMMARY OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE ASPECTS

The system, method, and devices of the invention each have severalaspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention as expressed bythe claims which follow, its more prominent features will now bediscussed briefly. After considering this discussion, and particularlyafter reading the section entitled “Detailed Description of CertainEmbodiments” one will understand how the features of this inventionprovide advantages that include reduced inventory costs, fasterturnaround time, and lower processing costs.

One embodiment comprises a method of distributing an item to successiverecipients. The method comprises receiving addressing data based onindicia on a surface of a container, and determining, based on theaddress data, that an item is disposed within the container. Thecontainer and the item are dispatched from a first recipient of thecontainer and of the item. The method further comprises receiving dataidentifying the item disposed within the container. The data is based onfurther indicia on a surface of the container. The method furthercomprises identifying a second recipient of the item based on the dataidentifying the item, readdressing the container to the secondrecipient, and dispatching the container to the second recipient.

Another embodiment comprises a system for distributing an item tosuccessive recipients. The system comprises a database configured tostore item and recipient data and at least one processor configured toreceive addressing data based on indicia on a surface of a container,and determine based on the address data that an item is disposed withinthe container. The container and the item have been dispatched from afirst recipient of the container and of the item. The processor isfurther configured to receive data identifying the item disposed withinthe container, the data being based on further indicia on a surface ofthe container. The processor is further configured to identify a secondrecipient of the item based on the data identifying the item and basedon the data stored in the database, generate instructions forreaddressing the container to the second recipient and dispatching thecontainer to the second recipient; and update the data in the databaseto associate the item with the second recipient.

Another embodiment comprises a system for distributing an item tosuccessive recipients. The system comprises means for storing item andrecipient data and means for processing configured to receive addressingdata based on indicia on a surface of a container, and determine basedon the address data that an item is disposed within the container. Thecontainer and the item have been dispatched from a first recipient ofthe container and of the item. The processing means is furtherconfigured to receive data identifying the item disposed within thecontainer, the data being based on further indicia on a surface of thecontainer. The processing means is further configured to identify asecond recipient of the item based on the data identifying the item andbased on the data stored in the database, generate instructions forreaddressing the container to the second recipient and dispatching thecontainer to the second recipient; and update the data in the databaseto associate the item with the second recipient.

Another embodiment comprises a computer-program product for distributingan item to successive recipients. The product comprises acomputer-readable medium having stored thereon data indicative of codesexecutable by at least one processor to: receive addressing data basedon indicia on a surface of a container, determine based on the addressdata that an item is disposed within the container, the container andthe item having been dispatched from a first recipient of the containerand of the item, receive data identifying the item disposed within thecontainer, the data being based on further indicia on a surface of thecontainer, identify a second recipient of the item based on the dataidentifying the item, readdress the container to the second recipient,and dispatch the container to the second recipient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top level block diagram illustrating one embodiment of asystem including a service provider and processing facility fordelivering items to multiple recipients.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating portions of a processing facilityaccording to one embodiment of a system such as illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method ofdistributing items using a system such as illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of one embodiment of a suitableenvelope for use in connection with the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4B is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of an envelope ofFIG. 4A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description is directed to certain specificembodiments of the invention. However, the invention can be embodied ina multitude of different ways as defined and covered by the claims. Inthis description, reference is made to the drawings wherein like partsare designated with like numerals throughout.

Embodiments include systems and methods of delivering DVDs, highdefinition video discs, audio compact discs, games stored on disc memorycard or cartridge, other electronically or computer readable media, orother high value items through the mail or via any other deliveryservice for return and redelivery to a second customer. For example, inone embodiment, items returned by a first customer are identified duringprocessing of a container or mailer containing the item, the secondcustomer is determined, a new address label is affixed to the container,and the item is delivered to the second customer. Desirably, such asystem and method can reduce processing time and/or inventoryrequirements of such rental systems.

It is to be recognized that while various embodiments are discussedherein with reference to delivery of computer readable media enclosedwithin envelopes, other embodiments may include systems and methods ofprocessing and delivering of any item that may be rented or sharedbetween users such as tools, books, or specialized articles associatedwith particular businesses or hobbies.

FIG. 1 is a top level block diagram illustrating one embodiment of asystem 100 that includes a service provider 102 and processing facility104 for delivering items to multiple recipients 106. The serviceprovider 102 maintains a database 108 that stores information aboutitems requested by recipients. A dispatch control module 109 maintainsrequest data in the database 108 and selects particular recipients tonext receive particular items based on the request and item data storedin the database 108. The dispatch control module 109 may also control adispatch facility 110 that processes requests by providing requesteditems in addressed containers and dispatching the containers to theaddress of the selected recipient 106. Each of the dispatch controlmodule 109, the database 108, and the dispatch facility 110 may compriseone or more computer processors and associated software configured toperform the above-described functions. The dispatch facility 110 mayalso include container processing apparatuses operating under thedirection of such processors. The various processors and databases maybe configured to communicate via any suitable data network such as, forexample, one or more private networks and/or the Internet.

The dispatch facility 110 of the service provider 102 provides the itemsin the containers to the processing facility 104 for delivery to theselected recipient 106. After use of the item, the recipient 106 returnsthe item to the container. In one embodiment, the recipient 106 removesan address label listing the address of the recipient 106 from thecontainer to reveal a return processing address. The recipient 106 thendispatches the container (and the item disposed within the container) tothe return address.

In one embodiment, the processing facility 104 reads an identifierassociated with the item that is positioned in a viewing area of thecontainer. The processing facility 104 recognizes that the identifier(or both) is indicative of processing according to the system 100. Inone embodiment, the processing facility in addition, or alternatively,reads the return address on the container to recognize that thecontainer is to be processed by the system 100.

The processing facility 104 communicates with the database 108 of theservice provider 102 to determine the next recipient 106 of the item.The processing facility 104 readdresses the container to the secondrecipient and dispatches the container to the second recipient 106.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating portions of the processingfacility 104 in further detail. In particular, the processing facility104 includes a reader 202 configured to read address and identifierinformation from the container as received from the first recipient 106.A sorter 204 sorts the identified containers and provides containershaving identified items disposed therein to a forwarding unit 206 thatreaddresses the container with delivery information for the secondrecipient 106. A sorting and dispatch unit 208 receives the containerfrom the forwarding unit 206 and sorts and dispatches the readdressedcontainer to the second recipient 106. In one embodiment, the processingfacility operates under control of processing control module 210 whichmay be implemented as a computer processor in communication with one ormore of the reader 202, the sorter 204, the forwarding unit 206 and thesorting and dispatch unit 208. In one embodiment, the reader 202, thesorter 204, the forwarding unit 206 and the sorting and dispatch unit208 may comprise commercially available envelope or container processingequipment such as used in mail processing facilities that are adaptedfor use in the system 100. In one such embodiment, the control module210 is configured to provide the functions discussed herein by providingsuitable control and processing to commercially available mailforwarding systems such as provided by the United States Postal Service.

The reader 202 comprises one or more of an optical character recognitionsystem, a bar code reader, a magnetic stripe reader, a RFID tag reader,or any other apparatus suitable for reading address and/or identifierinformation from an envelope or other container. In one embodiment, thereader 202 is configured to read the address of the container. When anaddress associated with the service provider 102 is recognized, thereader 202 further reads the identifier associated with the itemdisposed within the container. In another embodiment, the reader 202reads the identifier and identifies the container and item as beingassociated with the service provider 102 (without necessarily readingthe return address of the container). In one such embodiment, thecontainer can be dispatched with the address of the first recipient 106still visible as the container is processed without reference to thataddress.

Based on the information from the reader 202, the sorter 204 sorts anddispatches the identified container to the forwarding unit 206. Thesorter 204 may comprise a commercially available envelope or containersorting unit. In one embodiment, the forwarding unit 206 (directly orvia the control module 210) receives addressing information of the nextselected recipient 106 of the container from the database 108 of theservice provider. In one embodiment, the dispatch control module 109selects the next recipient 106 and provides the address data from thedatabase 108 to the forwarding unit 206.

In another embodiment, the control module 210 includes a synchronizeddatabase (not shown) that duplicates and synchronizes with the database108. In such an embodiment, the control module 210 provides addressinginformation for the next recipient 106 to the forwarding unit 206 andprovides updated information to the service provider 102 regarding thestatus of the container and item. The forwarding unit 206 addresses thecontainer according to the provided address information. In oneembodiment, the forwarding unit 206 prints the address information on alabel and applies the label having the address information printedthereon to the container in a specified location. In one embodiment, theforwarding unit 206 comprises a commercial envelope or other containerprocessing apparatus such as are used to provide mail forwardingservices based on a change of address database. Such devices can beadapted to use the information of the database 108 in lieu of such achange of address database.

The sorting and dispatch unit 208 receives the readdressed containerfrom the forwarding unit 206 and is configured to sort and dispatch thecontainer to the second recipient 106. The sorting and dispatch unit 208may comprise any suitable apparatus or system for sorting anddispatching envelopes or other containers to a recipient. In oneembodiment, each of the reader 202, sorter 204, and forwarding unit 206are provided by the service provider 102 while the sorting and dispatchunit is provided by a commercial container delivery service such as theUnited States Postal Service. In another embodiment, the commercialdelivery service provides each component of the processing facility 204.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method 300 ofdistributing items using the system 100. The method 300 begins at ablock 301 in which a processor such as one comprising the processingcontrol module 210 of FIG. 2 receives image data from a surface of acontainer that has been received for processing. Moving to a block 304,based on OCR or bar code processing, an address is generated for thecontainer and received by the processing control module 210. Next at ablock 303, the processing control module 210 determines whether theaddress is associated with further processing to, for example, identifya subsequent recipient of the container. In one embodiment, the database108 includes addresses associated with items to be processed by thesystem 100 and the determination at the block 303 is made based on alookup of the received address in a designated index of the database108. If the address is not associated with further processing, thecontainer is not processed further via the method 300. If the address isassociated with the system 100 for further item processing, the method300 proceeds to a block 304.

In one embodiment, the identifying may be performed during regular mailor other delivery service processing in which a destination address isread in connection with reading the destination address of thecontainer. For example, in one embodiment, the identification may beperformed as part of mail processing such that items to be delivered aspart of the system 100 are identified based on the destination or returnaddress of the container. In one such embodiment, the containers areidentified similar to other envelopes or containers having an addressedthat is to be forwarded automatically.

Moving to the block 304, the processing control module 210 receives dataidentifying an item disposed within the container based on the imagedate. In particular, the item is identified as an item disposed within acontainer that has been dispatched from a first recipient of thecontainer and of the item. In one embodiment, the processing controlmodule 210 receives the identifying data from the reader 202 of FIG. 2,which reads an identifier of the item that is positioned at a selectedlocation on the container. In one embodiment, the reader 202 processesthe image data to decode the identification data in response to a signalor request from the processing control module 210 that is provided basedon identifying the destination address of the container as beingassociated with item processing. In one embodiment, the identifier ofthe item is disposed on a sleeve enclosing the item and the reader 202reads the identifier via a viewing area of the container when obtainingthe image data. For example, the viewing area may comprise an opening ina surface of the container or a transparent portion of the containerthrough which an identifier on the item or on a sleeve enclosing theitem may be read. The reader 202 may capture an image of the container,provide the destination address as discussed with reference to the block303, and subsequently provide the identifier of the item within thecontainer based on the same image. Desirably, the method 300 can thus beperformed within an address based parcel processing system using thesingle imaging of the parcel used to obtain the address to also obtainthe identifier. In one embodiment, the identifier is obtained inresponse to determining that the address of the parcel is associatedwith an item. In such an embodiment, processing of the image of theparcel for an item identifier can be limited to containers that labeledwith an address associated with item processing.

The identifier may comprise at least one of data identifying the itemand data identifying the first recipient. For example, the identifiermay comprise a serial number or other unique identifier associated withthe item. In addition, or alternatively, the identifier may compriseaddress or other data identifying the first recipient such that theprocessing control module 210 may identify the item based on informationin the database 108 associating the item with the first recipient.

In another embodiment, the acts and events associated with the method300 are performed on containers that have been sorted or otherwiseinclude only those to be processed according to the method 300. Forexample, in one embodiment, the containers are presorted based onaddress or other indicia on the container. In another embodiment, thecontainers are delivered based on the return address to a specifiedprocessing facility to perform the method 300.

Moving to a block 305, the processing control module 210 identifies asecond recipient of the item based on the data identifying the item. Inone embodiment, the processing control module 210 accesses the database108 (or a local database synchronized with the database 108) andidentifies the second recipient based at least in part on request datareceived from the second recipient. For example, one or more potentialrecipients may have requested the particular item. The second recipientmay be selected based on a priority of the request given to the item byeach potential recipient, a time that each potential requestor haswaited for the item, or any other criteria or combination of criteria.In one embodiment, the processing control module 210 identifies thesecond recipient based at least in part on one of a transit time or atransit cost of dispatching the item to the second recipient versusother requestors of the particular item. If no potential recipientsexist (e.g., no pending requests for the item are in the database 108),a specified address or the service provider or other sorting hold areamay be identified as the next recipient so that the container and itemmay be returned the service provider 102 or dispatched to a sorting holdarea until requested by another recipient.

In one embodiment, the processing control 210 also updates the database108 to indicate that the first recipient has returned the item and thatthe item has been forwarded to the second recipient. In addition, theprocessing control 210 may also be configured to update a database ofprocessing and/or mailing charges associated with providing theprocessing described herein.

Next at a block 306, the forwarding unit 206, which may be underinstruction by the processing control module 210, readdresses thecontainer to the second recipient. In one embodiment, the forwardingunit 206 readdresses the container by applying a label to the container.In one embodiment, the forwarding unit 206 or associated equipmentprints addressing information indicative of the second recipient on thelabel. Other information such as the recipient name and an accountnumber associated with the recipient may also be included on the label.The addressing information may comprise a street or mailing address. Inone embodiment, the addressing information on the label comprise apostal delivery point code in numeric or symbolic (e.g., bar code) form.In one embodiment, the addressing label comprises an 11 digit U.S.Postal Service delivery point code or barcode.

Proceeding to a block 308, the container is dispatched to the secondrecipient. For example, in one embodiment, the container proceeds fromthe forwarding unit 206 to a sorting and dispatch unit 208 that sortsand dispatches the container to the second recipient using knowncontainer sorting and dispatch methods and systems. For example, in oneembodiment, the readdressed container is sorted and dispatched via acommercial delivery service such as the United States Postal Service. Inone embodiment, all or selected portions of the method 300 may beperformed at a container processing facility of a commercial deliveryservice.

Other functions may also be performed as part of, or in connection with,the method 300. For example, at the block 304, in addition to readingthe identifier, the reader 202 may be configured to perform, or providedata for performing, additional functions. In one such embodiment, thereader 202 comprises a bar code or OCR reader that operates by imagingat least one surface of the container and processing that image data toread the address and/or identifier of the container. A processor at thereader 202 or the processing control 210 receives the image dataindicative of at least a portion of the item viewable via the viewingarea (which may be the substantially all of one or more surfaces of theitem if, for example, the container comprises a substantiallytransparent surface). The processor examines the image data and detectsphysical damage to the item based on the image data by, for example,identifying possible cracks or other damage to the item. When a possiblydamaged item is detected, at the block 304, the processing control 210identifies a specified recipient for the item when damage is detected.For example, the item may be directed back to the service provider 102or directed to specified processing station for further inspection andspecified processing if damage is found.

It is to be recognized that depending on the embodiment, certain acts orevents of any of the methods described herein can be performed in adifferent sequence, may be added, merged, or left out all together(e.g., not all described acts or events are necessary for the practiceof the method). Moreover, in certain embodiments, acts or events may beperformed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing,interrupt processing, or multiple processors, rather than sequentially.

FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of one embodiment of a suitablecontainer, which in the illustrated embodiment comprises an envelope400, for use in connection with the system 100. The envelope 400 isformed of one or more planar sheets of a material suitable for repeatedprocessing cycles. For example, in one embodiment, the envelope 400 isformed of one or more sheets of suitable folded or bonded sheets ofTyvek™ or similar material. In the illustrated embodiment, the envelope400 has an addressing portion 402 on which removable address labels maybe applied. The addressing portion 402 may be positioned to accommodatereading by the reader 202 of FIG. 2. A viewing area 404 exposes anidentifier 406 of the item disposed within the envelope 400. The viewingarea 404 may also be positioned to accommodate reading by the reader202.

FIG. 4B is a rear perspective view of the envelope 400 of FIG. 4A. FIG.4B illustrates an opening 407 into an inner pocked formed within theenvelope 400 into which an item 408 is placed. In the illustratedembodiment, the item 408 has been inserted within a protective sleeve410. In one embodiment, the identifier 406 of the item 408 is on asurface of the sleeve 410 and positioned to be visible in the viewingarea 404. In one embodiment, the size and the shape of the opening 407and the sleeve 410 are selected such that the sleeve only fits into theopening 407 in a particular orientation or orientations and such thatone or more copies of the identifier 406 are visible in the opening 404.In an alternate embodiment, no sleeve is used and the identifier ispositioned on the item 408. In another embodiment, the identifier 404associated with the item is on a surface of, or otherwise integral with,the envelope 400. Such embodiments may optionally include the sleeve410.

In the illustrated embodiment of the envelope 400, the item 408 issecured in the pocket defined by the opening 407 by a flap 412. In theillustrated envelope 404, a hook and loop closure system of elements414A and 414B is used to secure the item 408 in a resealable fashion. Inother embodiments, the flap 412 may be configured to fold into theopening 407 to seal the envelope 400 or configured to fold into slits(not shown) on the rear surface of the envelope 400. In yet anotherembodiment, the envelope 400 may comprise a zipper type reusableclosure.

The system 100 may be configured to track usage of the particularenvelopes 400 or other containers so that their age and number of usesof either or both of the envelopes 400 and the items 408 can be trackedto allow proactive replacement of containers. In addition, in oneembodiment the envelope 400 or other container may have its own uniqueidentifier in place of, or in addition to, the identifier of the item408 so as to allow such tracking over uses with different items 408.Such usage information may be maintained in the database 108 or in aseparate database indexed by the identifier of one or both of the itemand containers.

In view of the above, one will appreciate that the invention overcomesthe problem of processing time and costs associated with deliverysystems that employ single use containers. For example, embodimentsprovide a way of reusing containers to reduce human processing andrepackaging costs, to reduce waste paper from disposable containersthereby improving “green” compliance, and decreasing latency betweenuses of particular items.

Those of skill will recognize that the various illustrative logicalblocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connectionwith the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronichardware, software stored on a computer readable medium and executableby a processor, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate thisinterchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrativecomponents, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been describedabove generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the present invention.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implementedor performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signalprocessor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), afield programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Anexemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processorcan read information from, and write information to, the storage medium.In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor.The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.

While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointedout novel features of the invention as applied to various embodiments,it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changesin the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of theinvention. As will be recognized, the present invention may be embodiedwithin a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits setforth herein, as some features may be used or practiced separately fromothers. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claimsrather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come withinthe meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embracedwithin their scope.

1. A method of distributing an item to successive recipients, the methodcomprising: receiving addressing data based on indicia on a surface of acontainer; determining with a computer, based on the address data, thatan item is disposed within the container, the container and the itemhaving been dispatched from a first recipient of the container and ofthe item; receiving data identifying at least one of the item disposedwithin the container or the container, the data being based on furtherindicia on a surface of the container; determining with a computer thenumber of uses of either of the container or the item disposed withinthe container based on the data identifying at least one of the itemdisposed within the container or the container; identifying a secondrecipient of the item with a computer based on said number of uses;readdressing the container to the second recipient; and dispatching thecontainer to the second recipient.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinreaddressing the container comprises applying a label to the container,the label having printed thereon addressing information indicative ofthe second recipient.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving dataidentifying the item disposed within the container comprises reading anidentifier of the item positioned on the container.
 4. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the identifier of the item comprises at least one ofdata identifying the item and data identifying the first recipient. 5.The method of claim 2, wherein the identifier of the item is disposed ona sleeve enclosing the item and wherein reading the identifier comprisesreading the identifier via a viewing area of the container.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein reading the identifier via the viewing areaof the container comprises reading the identifier through one of atransparent portion of the container or an opening in a surface of thecontainer.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: obtaining imagedata indicative of at least a portion of the surface of the container;generating the address data based on the image data; and generating thedata identifying the item based on the image data in response to thedetermining.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the item comprises acomputer-readable medium, and wherein the addressing informationidentifies content stored on the computer readable medium.
 9. The methodof claim 8, wherein the computer-readable medium comprises at least oneof a memory card, an electronically readable disc, a game cartridge, aDVD, or a disc storing high definition video content.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising receiving the container having the itemdisposed therein, the container and the item having been received fromthe first recipient of the container and item.
 11. The method of claim1, wherein identifying the second recipient of the item furthercomprises identifying the second recipient based at least in part on oneof a transit time or a transit cost of dispatching the item to thesecond recipient.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying thesecond recipient of the item further comprises identifying the secondrecipient based at least in part on request data received from thesecond recipient.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising updatinga database with data indicative of dispatching the item to the secondrecipient.
 14. A system for distributing an item to successiverecipients, the system comprising: a database configured to store itemand recipient data; at least one processor configured to: receiveaddressing data based on indicia on a surface of a container; determinebased on the address data that an item is disposed within the container,the container and the item having been dispatched from a first recipientof the container and of the item; receive data identifying at least oneof the item disposed within the container or the container, the databeing based on further indicia on a surface of the container; determinethe number of uses of either the container or of the item disposedwithin the container based on the data identifying at least one of theitem disposed within the container or the container; identify a secondrecipient of the item based on said number of uses and based on the datastored in the database; generate instructions for readdressing thecontainer to the second recipient and dispatching the container to thesecond recipient; and update the data in the database to associate theitem with the second recipient.
 15. The system of claim 14, whereingenerating instructions for readdressing the container comprisesinstructing at least one apparatus to generate and apply a label to thecontainer, the label having printed thereon addressing informationindicative of the second recipient.
 16. The system of claim 14, furthercomprising a scanner configured to read the identifier of the itempositioned at a selected location on the container.
 17. The system ofclaim 16 wherein the scanner comprises at least one of a bar code readeror an optical character recognition reader.
 18. The system of claim 14,wherein the identifier of the item comprises at least one of dataidentifying the item and data identifying the first recipient.
 19. Thesystem of claim 14, wherein the identifier of the item is disposed on asleeve enclosing the item and wherein the reader is configured to readthe identifier via a viewing area of the container.
 20. The system ofclaim 14, wherein the identifier of the item is disposed on a sleeveenclosing the item and wherein the reader is configured to read theidentifier through one of a transparent portion of the container or anopening in a surface of the container.
 21. The system of claim 14,wherein the item comprises a computer-readable medium, and wherein theaddressing information identifies content stored on the computerreadable medium.
 22. The system of claim 21, wherein thecomputer-readable medium comprises at least one of a memory card, anelectronically readable disc, a game cartridge, a DVD, or a disc storinghigh definition video content.
 23. The system of claim 14, wherein theprocessor is configured to identify the second recipient based at leastin part on one of a transit time or a transit cost of dispatching theitem to the second recipient.
 24. The system of claim 14, wherein theprocessor is configured to identify the second recipient based at leastin part on request data received from the second recipient.
 25. A systemfor distributing an item to successive recipients, the systemcomprising: means for storing item and recipient data; means forprocessing data, said processing means configured to: receive dataidentifying at least one of an item disposed within a container receivedfor processing or the container, the container and the item having beendispatched from a first recipient of the container and of the item;determine the number of uses of either the container or of the itemdisposed within the container based on the data identifying at least oneof the item disposed within the container or the container; identify asecond recipient of the item based on said number of uses and based onthe data stored in the database; generate instructions for readdressingthe container to the second recipient and dispatching the container tothe second recipient; and update the data in the database to associatethe item with the second recipient.
 26. A computer-program product fordistributing an item to successive recipients, the product comprising: anon-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon dataindicative of codes executable by at least one processor to: receiveaddressing data based on indicia on a surface of a container; determinebased on the address data that an item is disposed within the container,the container and the item having been dispatched from a first recipientof the container and of the item; receive data identifying at least oneof the item disposed within the container or the container, the databeing based on further indicia on a surface of the container; determinethe number of uses of either the container or of the item disposedwithin the container based on the data identifying at least one of theitem disposed within the container or the container; identify a secondrecipient of the item based on said number of uses; readdress thecontainer to the second recipient; and dispatch the container to thesecond recipient.